Friends, Family, and Fear
by Thn0715
Summary: In the aftermath of a firefight, the team realizes one of their own is missing. Who is it? Only one way to find out! I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.
1. Firefights and Fear

**A/N: Hi everyone! This story was written post-Omnivore, but before the season finale. It was originally posted on the Criminal Minds message boards. After many friends there told me about this site, I decided to finally publish it here. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome!!! If you like it…great! If you don't, please feel free to tell me why!**

Any time an agent pulls his gun, life hangs in the balance. On a good night, they can bring their subjects in without firing a shot. Unfortunately, it's not always that simple. Sometimes a shot is necessary. And rarely the situation turns into an all out firefight. This was one of those times. The team was split. The shots came from everywhere. They could hear each other, but there was too much chaos around them to keep an eye on one another among the buildings that made up Industrial Park. Finally, after only a few moments, which felt like hours, the shooting stopped. As the smoke cleared, Agent Rossi assessed the damage. Two men were down a few feet in front of him. He could see two more down across the park. The local police canvassed the scene to make sure their nightmare was actually over.

"Everybody alright?" called Rossi into his com-link.

"We're okay," answered Morgan with Prentiss.

"We're, good. We're coming back your way." called back JJ and Reid.

Everyone sounded out of breath, but safe and unharmed. Rossi impatiently waited for one more call.

Nothing.

"Hotch?" he called.

…

Nothing.

…

"Hotch, can you hear me?" The panic started to creep in his voice.

…

Silence.

…

"Hotch!"

"Rossi, what's going on?" Morgan asked as he and Prentiss arrived at his location, a very uneasy look on his face. Rossi shook his head and pulled out his cell phone.

"Garcia! It's Rossi." Her face dropped as she heard the panic in his voice. He hadn't sounded this panicked since the explosion in New York City. "Find Hotch!"

"Ok! I'm on it!" Garcia, in her computer filled office at Quantico, began working her magic (as she liked to call it) and located Hotch's cell phone signal.

"I've got your cell signal and his. He's about 100 feet west of you. What's happening?…Guys?…What's going on!?"

He didn't answer. Rossi, Morgan and Prentiss sprinted to his location. JJ and Reid were not far behind. At the sight of their team racing toward something unknown to them, they took off at a run. Morgan got there first. He turned the corner slowly. He couldn't believe the sight.

There was blood on the corner of the building and on the pavement. It trailed away a very short distance and then disappeared. Next to the blood, there was a white cloth reeking of some sort of chemical. Propped up next to the wall was Hotch's vest. His gun and cell phone lay on top of the vest. And next to those, very prominently displayed for the team to find, was Morgan's badge.

"No, no, no," Morgan uttered. "NO!"

The team looked at each other frantically.

Foyet was back. And Hotch was gone.


	2. Realizations

**A/N: This story was written post-Omnivore, but before the season finale. It was originally posted on the Criminal Minds message boards. After many friends there told me about this site, I decided to finally publish it here. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome!!! If you like it…great! If you don't, please feel free to tell me why!**

Hotch woke up in an unfamiliar place. His head was splitting. He was dizzy. He couldn't focus. He tried to bring his hands up to his head. That's when he realized his hands were tied behind his back. His ankles were tied, too. And his shirt was in the corner. He shook his head, trying to regain some focus and remember what happened. Last thing he remembered was shooting one of the four unsubs the team had been chasing. He was preparing to take another shot…and then he woke up here…wherever here is.

"Good morning, Aaron."

He knew that voice. And he knew he was in big trouble.

"I've been waiting for you to wake up."

Now Hotch was alert. He didn't say anything. He looked up and confirmed his suspicion. Foyet was kneeling next to him with his always-handy knife in his hand.

"Wouldn't you like to know why you're here?" he asked.

Hotch still said nothing.

"I told you I would be more famous than any of you realized. I've spent the last few months trying to decide the best way to get your attention again. I thought about paying Derek a little visit and returning his badge. I didn't get to have my fun with him last time." He paused to reminisce.

"I didn't realize how close your team is, Aaron. You really are like family, aren't you? I've been watching for a while. Like you and your team, I pay special attention to people. I know what makes you all tick. And I've determined that the best way to have my fun with Derek and make him suffer is to make a member of his 'family' suffer. And by choosing you I get to kill two birds with one stone."

Hotch looked at him confused. Two birds with one stone? What did he mean?

"What better way to get my revenge on the BAU than by taking out its leader?" He was gazing at his knife the way most men gaze at beautiful women. "I'm thoroughly going to enjoy this, Aaron."

"I won't scream for you," Hotch said defiantly. "Do your worst. They'll still find you."

"True. They may get lucky again and find me. The question is…will you still be alive when they do?"

* * *

"They can't have gotten far," said Morgan. "The fight didn't last that long. He's gotta be close by."

"This is a big industrial park, there's got to be security cameras on some of these buildings," answered Prentiss.

Rossi got the attention of the local detective they'd been working the initial case with and explained the situation. He led them to the main office, three buildings away from where Hotch went missing. Rossi got on the phone to Garcia.

"We're in the main office now. Can you access their system?"

"I can access any system, just give me a minute. And while we're waiting, would one of you please tell me what's happening!?"

Morgan explained everything. Garcia felt the panic creeping up on her.

"Oh, God! Okay, I'm in. Looks like there are seven cameras, one for each building."

"We need anything around building six," said JJ.

Garcia rummaged through the video footage as fast as she could. The cameras from buildings five, six and seven all had different angles of the building. She went back 45 minutes on each camera. The camera from building five had the best look. She streamed the video footage to the office computer.

Hotch took cover behind building six during the firefight. He got down on one knee and fired one precise shot, bringing down his target. He was aiming for another one when Foyet seemed to literally come from out of nowhere. He hit Hotch on the side of the head with a board that had been lying nearby. Hotch's head hit the corner of the building (explaining the blood) and he went down. Before he could get up to his knees, Foyet pulled out the cloth and covered Hotch's face with it. He struggled for a few short moments and then lost consciousness. Foyet set up his scene for the rest of the BAU to find, and dragged Hotch out of the camera's view.

"There's no way he snuck up on Hotch in a vehicle. Even with all the noise, Hotch would have heard that. He had to be waiting in one of these two buildings," Reid said, pointing at buildings six and seven.

"If he was waiting, that means he's been following us," said Morgan. He was beside himself. "For all we know, he's been following us for months, just waiting for a moment like this."

"It's only been about a half hour. If he's dragging or carrying him, he can't get far. We need to search every inch of every building…fast."


	3. Pain and Desperation

**A/N: This story was written post-Omnivore, but before the season finale. It was originally posted on the Criminal Minds message boards. After many friends there told me about this site, I decided to finally publish it here. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome!!! If you like it…great! If you don't, please feel free to tell me why! And a big THANK YOU to all who have reviewed/favorited/alerted this story! That really means a lot!**

Foyet pulled Hotch up to a sitting position against the wall. The movement brought back the pounding in Hotch's head. He closed his eyes to try to make the room stop spinning. When he opened them, Foyet was directly in front of him, but out of focus.

"What's wrong, Aaron? Seeing two of me?"

Hotch didn't answer.

"So you don't know which one of me is doing this?" He ran the edge of the knife across Hotch's chest. He inhaled sharply at the sting. It wasn't a deep cut, but it was enough to make him realize that this would be a very long day.

"All you had to do was accept my deal, Aaron. I told you it was a good deal. You let all those people die. You could have stopped it. All you had to do was say yes."

"I didn't let anyone die. That lies on your head."

Foyet moved in closer and placed the point of the knife to Hotch's abdomen.

"No, Aaron. Shaunessey understood. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to protect the innocent."

As he spoke, he slowly put his weight behind the knife.

"You just couldn't put your ego aside. You always have to win, don't you, Aaron?"

Hotch clenched his eyes tightly and gasped. The deeper Foyet pushed the knife, the more labored his breathing became. Foyet was very deliberate. He'd waited a long time for this. He was going to make this memorable.

"You all think you have what it takes to save everyone. When are you going to realize you can't save them all?"

Hotch opened his eyes and looked into Foyet's. He was shaking now. The pain was overwhelming him. His breathing was ragged. He struggled to speak.

"When…will you…realize…you can't…kill…them…all?"

The comment amused Foyet. As if he wasn't excited enough already, he twisted the knife. Hotch whimpered and slumped forward, his head on Foyet's shoulder.

"I don't need to kill them all, Aaron," he whispered into his ear. "Just the right one."

With that he pulled out the knife. Hotch slid down the wall onto the ground. He couldn't put pressure on the wound. His hands were still tied behind him. He curled up as tight as he could, hoping that would stop the bleeding. He was still struggling to breathe. Foyet smiled his sick, twisted smile down at him and left the room. As promised, Hotch never screamed.

* * *

The team started with the buildings closest to where Hotch was taken. Morgan and Prentiss started in building seven. The first floor was one large open area, like warehouse space. The second and third floors were offices and cubicles. They covered every inch, opened every door, and checked behind every box looking for clues. Was this where Foyet laid in wait for his prey? Had he been watching from here the whole time? What they found was absolutely nothing. If every building was set up like this one, they were going to lose precious time.

Rossi, JJ and Reid went through building six and found the same things that Morgan and Prentiss found. After discussing their options, they thought it best to split up and take the other buildings alone. Reid and JJ would go together. After all, they had agreed to never split up on a case ever again. They all remembered what happened last time they split up.

Reid and JJ took building five. Prentiss took building four. Morgan took building three, and Rossi, building two. And their search resumed.


	4. Games and Searches

**A/N: This story was written post-Omnivore, but before the season finale. It was originally posted on the Criminal Minds message boards. After many friends there told me about this site, I decided to finally publish it here. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome!!! If you like it…great! If you don't, please feel free to tell me why! And a big THANK YOU to all who have reviewed/favorited/alerted this story!**** You guys are awesome!!! Thanks so much for keeping up with the story! (((hugs)))**

Foyet returned to check on his victim. To his disturbing delight, Hotch was still alive. _Great_, he thought. _More fun for me_.

"Did you miss me, Aaron?"

Hotch didn't answer. He was trying very hard not to be overcome by the pain he was in, and he was beginning to fail. He was in a cold sweat and still shaking. He looked up at Foyet with weary eyes.

"Just thought you'd like to know your friends are looking for you. They may actually find you after all," he said. There was something sinister in his voice…more so than usual. "I'm trying to decide if I should bring you some company."

Hotch flinched at the thought of any other member of the team enduring this. His reaction brought that sick, twisted smile back to Foyet's face.

"I thought that would affect you. But I think your team finding your body would cause them more pain, don't you agree?"

Hotch tried to regain control of his emotions and not give anything else away. He always hated when an unsub could read him…even in this state.

"Well," Foyet continued, "since they are looking for you now, I guess I should speed up the process a bit." And he brought out his knife again.

* * *

Morgan searched building three with extreme precision and a little fear. He was desperate to find Hotch, but afraid of what he might find. And he was very angry. He wanted Foyet. He owed Foyet.

Unlike the first building he searched, this one was more like an office complex. There was no warehouse or heavy machinery in this one. Plenty of space for someone to hide. He went room by room for what seemed like an eternity, looking for absolutely anything to help him out. Even the smallest clue would at least make him feel like he was helping his missing leader. He found more than he bargained for when he turned the corner into the executive suite. He found Foyet returning to his base of operations.

Morgan proceeded very quietly. Foyet hadn't seen him yet. He was directly behind him before he spoke.

"I found my badge, you son of a bitch."

"Hello, Derek," Foyet said, turning around. "It's good to see you again."

"Shut up!" Morgan yelled. "Where's Hotch?"

"Who?"

"Don't play games with me, Foyet! Where is he?"

Foyet thought for a moment. "Oh. You mean Aaron?"

Morgan was steaming now. His gun was aimed at Foyet's head. "Where did you take him?"

"He really is an exceptional leader, isn't he, Derek?" Foyet was toying with him. "Amazing what a man will allow himself to endure in order to protect the people he cares about."

Morgan couldn't take it anymore. He lowered his gun and shot Foyet in the knee. Foyet dropped to the floor.

JJ, Reid, and Prentiss had just finished searching their buildings when they heard the shot. They ran into building three and could hear Morgan yelling at someone. They continued running toward his voice and found him standing over Foyet demanding Hotch's location.

Prentiss went to Morgan to try to control him and stop him from killing Foyet. They needed him alive if they were going to find Hotch. JJ radioed the detective, giving him their location and requesting backup and medics. They all knew Foyet would never talk, but as long as they had him in custody he couldn't hurt Hotch anymore than he already had.

And they weren't in Boston this time. Foyet didn't have blueprints and floor plans for every jail, hospital, and courthouse in Virginia like he had in Massachusetts. And now he couldn't walk. He wasn't getting away this time.

* * *

_Don't panic, Hotchner…don't panic. _Hotch repeated this over and over in his head. _They're good at their job. They'll find you. Just don't panic._

He laid as still as possible. Maybe if he didn't move too much, he wouldn't bleed out as fast. Good theory, but easier thought than done. Every breath hurt like hell. Taking a deep breath was out of the question, as Foyet's latest attack was to the chest instead of the abdomen.

Hotch closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. He was fighting with everything he had…but he was failing…and he knew it.


	5. Findings

**A/N: This story was written post-Omnivore, but before the season finale. It was originally posted on the Criminal Minds message boards. After many friends there told me about this site, I decided to finally publish it here. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome!!! If you like it…great! If you don't, please feel free to tell me why! And a big THANK YOU to all who have reviewed/favorited/alerted this story! I greatly appreciate all the feedback!  
**

Rossi was still searching building two. It was the largest of the seven buildings. It seemed to take forever to search the first floor. The huge warehouse was filled with heavy-duty machinery, large conveyors, and more boxes than most people could fit in their houses. The potential hiding places here were endless. Rossi searched every dark corner, around every piece of machinery, in every room on the first floor. Nothing. He moved up to the second floor. Like the other buildings, the second floor was more office space, only larger. Behind door number one…nothing. Behind door number two…nothing. Behind door number three…

"I've got him! Building Two, second floor!" Rossi yelled into his radio. He ran to his fallen partner. "Get medics up here, now!"

Hotch was out of it. He didn't open his eyes until he felt Rossi feeling his neck for a pulse.

"Dave," he uttered.

"I've got you, Hotch," he said. "Just hold on."

He untied Hotch's wrists and ankles, and as gently as possible, rolled Hotch onto his back. Hotch clenched his eyes tight and groaned. The pain was almost too much to bear.

Rossi looked around quickly for anything he could use to keep pressure on the wounds. He saw Hotch's shirt in the corner. He grabbed it and applied as much pressure as possible. Hotch whimpered and tensed.

"I'm sorry," Rossi said softly. "I know it hurts." The white shirt turned red almost instantly. He was bleeding out fast.

Hotch reached up slowly and gripped the front of Rossi's shirt. He was trying to tell him something but he had no voice left.

"Don't try to talk. Just lay still. Help is coming."

But Hotch kept trying. He pulled Rossi closer. Rossi leaned in close enough to hear Hotch whisper through his clenched teeth.

"You have to…" He stumbled over his words. He didn't have the breath left to get all the words out at once. He tried again. "…take care of the team."

Rossi looked into Hotch's eyes. They were welling up with tears. He wanted to argue with him and make him fight. But he could tell there wasn't much left in his friend. He took a deep breath.

"Okay," he whispered.

Hotch clenched his eyes again and his grip on Rossi tightened.

"Tell Jack…I'm sorry."

With that statement, a single tear escaped his eye. Rossi simply nodded. The lump in his throat was too big for him to speak. He swallowed hard. He couldn't break down now. He had to stay strong.

Hotch's grip started to loosen. Rossi grabbed his hand and held it to his chest.

"Don't do that!" He was starting to panic. "Don't you do it. Hold on just a little longer. They're coming."

He looked around the empty room, completely helpless. Hotch's grip tightened once more, then fell limp.

"No, no, no, no," Rossi uttered. "Stay with me, Hotch. Just stay with me."

Just then…

"ROSSI!"

Rossi looked up urgently.

"MORGAN! UP HERE! HURRY!"

Morgan and the rest of the team came running, with medics close behind. They all froze in the doorway. The medics ran past them.

"He just lost consciousness less than a minute ago," he told the medics, and then looked up at the team. "I can't find a pulse." Rossi stood up out of their way. He was covered in Hotch's blood.

The medics worked furiously. The team was getting their first look at the severity of his injuries. JJ's eyes filled with tears. Reid was taken aback, almost expressionless. He didn't know how to process this. Morgan kept shaking his head and muttering to himself, "come on, man, come on." Prentiss stood in stunned silence on the edge of tears next to Rossi, who looked completely defeated.

Finally, after several feverous, intense minutes, something happened.

"We've got him!" The team let out a collective sigh of relief. "Let's get moving!"

"I'm going with him," declared Rossi.

"We're right behind you," replied Morgan.


	6. Waiting

**A/N: This story was written post-Omnivore, but before the season finale. It was originally posted on the Criminal Minds message boards. After many friends there told me about this site, I decided to finally publish it here. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome!!! If you like it…great! If you don't, please feel free to tell me why! And a big THANK YOU to all who have reviewed/favorited/alerted this story! That really means a lot!**

**A/N 2: The next three chapters are going to be pretty short. Sorry about that. I could have made them all one, but hopefully when you read them, you'll understand my desire to keep them separate. I'll explain my reasons at the end of chapter 8.  
**

Morgan and the rest of the gang went back to where the detectives were guarding Foyet. Federal Marshals were on their way to collect him. The guards were not to allow him out of their sights.

Morgan got in Foyet's face. "You're not getting away this time. This is one crime you're damn sure gonna pay for."

"Morgan," JJ's voice rang out. "We need to go."

Morgan was seething. He stared down Foyet, who returned the stare in kind, and the team left.

"Did anyone call Garcia?" asked Prentiss.

"She's meeting us at the hospital," JJ replied.

* * *

Rossi sat on the floor against the wall in the waiting area. He still held Hotch's bloody shirt. He couldn't let go of it. He knew it would be hours before he received any news on Hotch's condition. He sat completely lost in thought with his head leaned back against the wall, his elbows resting on his knees. He didn't hear the team come in.

Prentiss sat on the floor next to him.

"Are you okay?"

He glanced over at her and smiled.

"Any word?" she asked.

Rossi just shook his head.

Garcia noticed the bloody shirt in his hands.

"Is that…his?" she asked hesitantly. She looked terrified.

Rossi looked down at the shirt. "I can't put it down."

Garcia didn't have the details yet. Rossi was the only one who got to see up close the severity of the situation. The rest of the team sat in the chairs surrounding him while he described Hotch's injuries. Garcia and JJ held each other's hands as Garcia's tears flowed.

Reid could tell there was something else Rossi wasn't saying.

"Did he say anything before he passed out?" he asked.

Rossi looked at him and gave a sad grin.

"You're still always observant, Reid." Reid smiled back and took a deep breath.

"He said, 'you have to take care of the team', and to tell Jack he was sorry."

The mention of Jack opened the floodgates for JJ. She buried her face in her hands as she thought about her own little boy at home. Prentiss placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Morgan was completely beside himself. He still blamed himself for getting knocked out and not being able to bring down Foyet in Boston. He paced around the waiting room like a caged animal, searching his head for answers that would never come. He didn't understand why Foyet would come after Hotch instead of him.


	7. Family Part One

**A/N: This story was written post-Omnivore, but before the season finale. It was originally posted on the Criminal Minds message boards. After many friends there told me about this site, I decided to finally publish it here. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome!!! If you like it…great! If you don't, please feel free to tell me why! And a big THANK YOU to all who have reviewed/favorited/alerted this story! That really means a lot!**

**A/N 2: This chapter and the next chapter will be short, but I really feel they are better separate than together. I'll explain further after the end of the next chapter. And again...thank you all for reading and reviewing! You guys are AWESOME!!!!  
**

"You know he considers all of you his kids, too." Rossi looked up at Morgan, who stopped pacing. "You know that, right?"

They all looked at him.

"To him, you guys are his responsibility. He would rather die than have anything happen to you. Even if it were completely out of his control, he'd never forgive himself."

He looked at Reid and Prentiss.

"Didn't you ever wonder why he stayed behind when we took Cyrus' compound? He knew even the slightest hesitation on his part could cost you your lives. He couldn't take that chance." He shifted his focus to Prentiss. "When Cyrus was beating you…knowing he couldn't jump in and protect you, the look on his face was one of the most helpless looks I've ever seen."

He didn't mention Reid's experience with Tobias because he wasn't there, but he could only imagine what the team, especially Hotch went through having to witness his torture. Prentiss and Reid looked at each other, then back to Rossi.

He looked at Garcia.

"His fear with you isn't so much your safety. You're usually the safest one of the bunch. But every time he has to ask you to dive head first into a case that disturbs even the most seasoned field agents, he's afraid we'll come back to Quantico and your smile will be gone and he won't be able to bring it back."

Garcia smiled.

He looked at JJ.

"He's always been very protective of you. You're the one who's always in the public eye. In many ways, that makes you the most vulnerable. But ever since you had Henry…there is nothing he wouldn't do to make sure that little boy's mom gets back to him in one piece after every case."

JJ wiped away another tear.

Rossi turned his attention to Morgan.

"And you. You scare the hell out of him, the way you're always putting yourself in harm's way to protect us. Like with that ambulance stunt in New York. But when we were in Boston and we thought Foyet had killed you…when we couldn't get you on the radio…he was in a panic trying to get to you. He had to see for himself that it wasn't you on that gurney before he could breathe again."

He paused for a moment, staring down at Hotch's shirt.

"You see. You guys are everything to him. But what you don't know is, where he sees you guys as his kids…he's mine."


	8. Family Part Two

**A/N: This story was written post-Omnivore, but before the season finale. It was originally posted on the Criminal Minds message boards. After many friends there told me about this site, I decided to finally publish it here. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome!!! If you like it…great! If you don't, please feel free to tell me why! And a big THANK YOU to all who have reviewed/favorited/alerted this story! That really means a lot!**

Rossi couldn't say anymore. He got up and moved to the window. The team looked at each other for a moment, not really knowing what to do. Prentiss got up first and went to his side. The rest of the team followed.

"I remember watching him shortly after he joined the BAU. He was just like you guys in the bullpen, sharing a desk with three other wannabe profilers. But there was something different about him. You could tell just by watching him that he had a real passion for this. He used to drive us all nuts with all the questions! He wanted to know everything. And just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more, he'd come up with another one!"

He chuckled at that last part. He finally looked away from the window and at the team, who, for the first time all day, were smiling.

"We all knew this kid was going to be something special. I knew it. Gideon knew it. I only worked very few cases with him before I retired. When I decided to come back and I found out he had been made Unit Chief, I refused to go to any other team. There was no other choice for me."

He paused for a moment, looking back down at the bloody shirt he still held in his hands. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard before continuing.

"You see, he can't let his guard down around you. He has to stay strong all the time, he can't let you guys see him break down. He has to be the rock that you can all lean on when you need it. He doesn't have to be as guarded around me because I've been there before. I've been in his position and I understand exactly how he feels. He does have a breaking point. We all do. And I can be the one to catch him when he falls. I won't let this job do to him what it did to Gideon...I can't let that happen. He's too good for that to happen to him."

Rossi debated with himself about telling them how Hotch broke down in Boston when Foyet killed a bus load full of people, how he somehow thought it was his fault. But his thoughts were interrupted when the surgeon emerged.

"Agent Rossi?"

"Right here," he said. The six of them waited anxiously for the news.

"Agent Hotchner made it through the surgery. I won't lie to you, it was very touch and go for a while, but he pulled through. The next 24-48 hours are critical, but barring any unforeseen complications, I'm optimistic he'll recover fully."

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

"When can we see him?"

"In about an hour or so. I'll come get you once we've got him set up in ICU."

"Thank you."

Finally, a glimmer of hope began to show on their faces.

**A/N 2: Ok, my reasons for not combining the last two or three chapters... I really wanted the difference between Hotch seeing the team as his kids and Rossi seeing Hotch as his to be distinct and impactful. I wanted to show how this situation affects Rossi differently than the others, and why. Sort of like the differences between parents and children when faced with crisis. I see the team as worried, upset, angry...but Rossi has that confliction of being absolutely terrified for someone he regards as a son while at the same time trying to hold it together for the team. Hope that makes sense! (And I hope it worked!)**


	9. Awakenings

**A/N: This story was written post-Omnivore, but before the season finale. It was originally posted on the Criminal Minds message boards. After many friends there told me about this site, I decided to finally publish it here. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome!!! If you like it…great! If you don't, please feel free to tell me why! And a big THANK YOU to all who have reviewed/favorited/alerted this story! That really means a lot!**

Three days had passed since Hotch's rescue. His lungs were getting stronger, and he'd been taken off the respirator.

Haley came by each night to check on her ex-husband's condition as they all waited for him to regain consciousness. Even though in her heart she still loved him, she knew now more than ever that the divorce was the right move. She was always terrified of the dangers his job possessed, especially after Jack was born. But now those dangers were very real and she knew she couldn't live like that. Jack missed his daddy and wanted to see him, but Haley wouldn't bring him here, at least not yet. There were some things kids just didn't need to see or know…like the fact that daddy's not actually Superman. All Jack knew was that daddy was sick.

Shawn flew in from New York that first night. Unfortunately he couldn't stay. His new restaurant was doing extremely well and he was hosting two fundraising events for local charities. There was no way he could back out of it. But he had to see for himself that his big brother was indeed still alive. He'd called every day since then, hoping and praying for some good news.

Thankfully the team had a slow week. Following the chaos of the week before, they desperately needed a slow one. They visited the hospital every night, sometimes together, sometimes alone, hoping he'd wake up and argue procedure with them, challenge them, use that dry sense of humor to joke with them, anything.

On the fourth night the team went out to dinner and came to see Hotch together. Morgan was unusually quiet. He didn't joke much at dinner, not even with Garcia, and now he was pacing again. While the team tried to keep things light-hearted when visiting Hotch, tonight Morgan just couldn't. Everyone noticed, but only Rossi spoke up.

"You can't shake it, can you?" he asked.

"Shake what?" questioned Morgan.

"You're still blaming yourself for this."

Morgan faced the rest of the team.

"It doesn't make sense to me! I'm the one Foyet knocked out and couldn't torture. So this sick freak takes my badge, leaves me a souvenir bullet to say 'I had you', but then he goes after Hotch? I can't wrap my head around that! If he was going to come after anyone, it should have been me!"

The team didn't know what to say. They'd never seen Morgan react this way.

"There's more to the story than you realize, Derek," Rossi finally replied.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's because…I turned down…his deal."

The team jumped.

"Hotch!" they all seemed to exclaim at once.

How long had he been awake? Obviously long enough to hear their argument.

"Hi guys."

They went to his side. He looked around the room wearily.

"How long have I been here?"

"Four days," Rossi answered.

"Oh."

"Hotch, what do you mean you turned down the deal?" Morgan asked. He was considerably calmer now that he knew Hotch was okay.

"You don't have to do this right now, Hotch," Rossi said.

"Yes I do," Hotch slowly replied. "They need to know."

He took a breath and winced a little at the nagging pain still in his chest. The team watched him nervously.

"When we were in Boston, Foyet called my hotel and offered me the Shaunessey deal. I turned it down and insulted him, and then I hung up on him." He paused to catch his breath. "That was about five minutes before he killed seven people on a bus."

Morgan didn't know what to say. Neither did anyone else.

"Did you get him?" Hotch asked.

"He's in Federal custody," replied JJ.

"Good."

The silence was deafening. Rossi, sensing that Hotch and Morgan needed some time to talk, decided to speak.

"I'm going to tell the doctors you're awake."

"I'll go with you," replied Prentiss.

"I could use some coffee," said JJ. "Anyone else?"

Garcia and Reid went with JJ, leaving Morgan and Hotch alone.


	10. Protecting The Ones You Love

**A/N: This is the conclusion of "Friends, Family, and Fear". I hope you've all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you to all who sent reviews, and a very special thanks to Brummie10 (my newest Hotch sis!), Nexis44, Mandy543, Maleshka, and especially WrenWing (TN - My Hotch Twin, I owe you some major presents! Watch your PM box carefully! LOL!) And also a special thanks to my CM Board family (TN, Falc, Sparks, FX, Red, Doc, Bleu, Cinny, Trips, Lady, Zoni, the 4-H Club, etc.) for encouraging me to post this story here! This has been an incredibly rewarding experience! Thank you all again!  
**

"You look terrible," said Hotch. "Are you okay?"

"Me! I should be asking you that question."

Hotch chuckled, then grimaced. Morgan looked pained.

"I'm sorry," Hotch began. "I should have told you guys about that a lot sooner."

"Why didn't you?" Morgan sat on the side of the bed to listen.

"I didn't want you guys worrying about him any more than you already were. I saw what that case did to you. I saw how you beat yourself up for not being able to stop him. I saw how hard it was for you to put Foyet on the backburner and move on, and not let him cloud your judgment on other cases. I couldn't put that on you, too."

He closed his eyes for a moment. He was still groggy and extremely sore. He returned his attention to Morgan.

"I knew after I turned him down that this could be the result. If we caught him, great. But if not, at least I knew he'd come after me and not you, or any of the others. At least, for the most part, I knew you were all protected."

Morgan began to giggle. Hotch looked confused. This made Morgan laugh harder.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, man, Rossi was right."

"Oh, no." Hotch rolled his eyes. "He told the 'dad' story, didn't he?"

Just then, Rossi came back in along with the rest of the team.

"You told them the 'dad' story?" Hotch incredulously inquired.

"Yes, I did!"

Hotch giggled and grimaced again.

"Please, don't make me laugh," he said through clenched teeth, yet still giggling.

"And let me tell you something else while we're at it!"

Hotch looked at Rossi with a mixed look of humor and pain on his face. The rest of the team was giggling behind him.

"What?"

"You scared the hell out of me, kid!" Rossi exclaimed. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

"Okay, dad."

The team burst into laughter. Rossi walked up to Hotch and tousled his hair like a little boy. Hotch was okay. Foyet was in custody. And sooner rather than later, the team…the whole team…would be back in action. And Morgan smiled.

**_THE END_**.


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